You must enter either the shape or the perimeter for the building:
Shape: Select one of the following shapes, which Commercial Estimator uses to automatically calculate the perimeter:
Square
Rectangular (or Slightly Irregular)
Irregular
Very Irregular
If you select any of these shape options, the word "Calculated" displays for the perimeter. This indicates that Commercial Estimator will automatically calculate the perimeter based on the shape (together with the total floor area and the number of stories).
Perimeter: To enter the perimeter directly, select the following:
Manual Perimeter
The perimeter is the total linear feet of wall that encloses the floor area on a single floor (based on exterior dimensions). If the perimeter varies in a multilevel basement, enter the average perimeter.
Example: If a 10-story building has a perimeter of 660 feet on the first floor and 500 feet on the other 9 floors, the average perimeter is (660 times 1) + (500 times 9), all divided by 10, or 516 feet.
If you horizontally section this building with the first floor in section 1 and the other nine floors in section 2, the entries are:
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Section 1: |
Stories in Section: 1 |
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Stories in Building: 10 |
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Perimeter: 660 |
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Section 2: |
Stories in Section: 9 |
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Stories in Building: 10 |
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Perimeter: 516 |
Note: It is best to enter the perimeter if you know it.
Note: For shed buildings that typically have one open side (i.e., no wall on one side), you should enter the perimeter as the number of linear feet of the sides of the shed with walls (i.e., do not include the side with no wall). If you enter a shape for shed buildings, Commercial Estimator calculates the perimeter assuming only three walls. Given this, when entering wall components for such buildings, the wall percentages should total 100%.